Prince William has revealed that he and Princess Kate are “strict” about keeping their children away from mobile phones as part of efforts to maintain a stable home life.
In a candid interview with Canadian actor Eugene Levy for the series The Reluctant Traveler, the Prince of Wales said Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven, are not allowed to have their own devices.
“None of our children have any phones, which we’re very strict about,” he told Mr Levy.
He explained that the family of five eat dinner together most evenings, saying: “To sit and chat is really important.”
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William said he believes creating a “happy, healthy, stable home” is essential for the future.
“Everything is about the future and about if you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall,” he added.
The Prince of Wales explained that both he and the Princess of Wales make time to carry out the school run.
He said they do drop-offs and pick-ups “most days”, describing how he arranges official duties around his children’s education.
Prince William says George, Charlotte and Louis are banned from having mobile phones
|PA
Balancing his public responsibilities with parenting, he admitted, can be challenging.
William said that family life often weighs more heavily on him than his constitutional role.
He told Mr Levy that “worry and stress around family” was far more likely to “overwhelm” him than the expectation of one day becoming King.
During the interview, filmed at Windsor Castle in February and released on October 3, William also reflected on the importance of modernising the monarchy.
George, Charlotte and Louis all attend Lambrook School | GETTYHe said: “Tradition has a huge part of all this. But there’s also points where you look at tradition and go, ‘Is that still fit for purpose today?
“‘Is that still the right thing to do? Are we still doing and having the most impact we could be having?’”
The Prince acknowledged the challenges of the past 12 months, describing the period between 2023 and 2024 as “the hardest year that I’ve ever had.”
He said: “Trying to sort of balance protecting the children, Catherine—my father [King Charles] needs a bit of protection, but he’s, you know, he’s old enough to do that himself, as well.
“But it’s important my family feel protected and have the space to process a lot of the stuff that’s gone on last year, and that was tricky trying to do that and keep doing the job.
“But, you know, we all have challenges that come our way, and it’s important to keep going.”
The Prince of Wales spoke openly about his determination to provide stability for his children while also preparing for his future role.
His remarks highlighted the balance he seeks to strike between private family life and public duty.
The interview formed part of Mr Levy’s travel series, which featured a special episode filmed in the UK.